68-4ST (B), HPR 1 (8), This report contains the results of a short term study of a pile in tension loads. The piles tested were driven on Louisiana Department of Highway's property in response to preceding research work entitled "Stability of Slender Prestressed Concrete Piling" by Professor H. Turner of Louisiana State University. When a depress roadway was to be built in the city of New Orleans where the water table is at or near the surface, the idea of "tension piles" was conceived. Piles were to be used t o hold down the roadway - to counteract the hydrostatic uplift. But little information was available on the subject of tension piles, the idea was discarded. Since the piles, driven for the previous study, were available on the Department's property, it was decided to place one in tension just to see what would happen., Four piles were driven; three were used in the study. Two were reaction piles, and one was the test pile. The test pile was placed in a tension load of 40 tons for a period of six months. Forty tons were approximately one fourth of the total bearing load computed from the pile driving formula. There was no movement., At the completion of the six months the pile was loaded to failure in tension. Failure predictably occurred at approximately 98 tons. Four cracks appeared in the member at 89 tons, 90 tons, 97 tons, and 98 tons. Five of the eight prestressed cables used to place the pile in tension broke. Just prior to this, there appeared to be 0.17 inches of movement upward, but when the load was removed the pile returned to its original elevation and the cracks closed., It is concluded that piles driven in stiff to very stiff clays and allowed to remain unloaded for several months will react favorably in tension.